After opening a new Net Zero centre in 2023 and winning a national award from the Association of Colleges in 2024, Suffolk New College continued on their mission to become one of the most sustainable colleges in the country by celebrating a three-year partnership with Energie Solutions.
The company based in Ipswich is a renewable energy specialist and they committed to working with the college at the start of 2023.
During that time period, their team has taken part in several industry partner events at the college and provided ongoing advice on course content and training ideas.
They also committed to giving guest lectures and hosted a stall at the College’s apprenticeship fair.
And taking the partnership further, staff from Energie Solutions gave a college lecturer a two-week shadowing placement with their engineers.
They also signed a formal agreement to become an industry partner.
Claudette Day from Energie Solutions said: “Our partnership with Suffolk New College is vital. Through it, we are able to provide hands on training to lecturers which helps upskill the next generation of heating engineers. Combined with our ongoing commitment to guest lecturing, this collaboration ensures students gain real world knowledge, strengthens the local skills pipeline, and supports the growth of high-quality green energy talent within our community.
“We absolutely intend to continue and strengthen the partnership. As new courses are launched, we hope to become even more involved. We have previously offered guest lecturing within the Net Zero Centre and are keen to expand this support. We also look forward to welcoming more lecturers to shadow our engineers on the road, giving them valuable hands-on experience
“Our message to the community is clear: we all have a part to play in telling a better, greener story. Supporting our local college – and encouraging young people into renewable technology apprenticeships is essential if we want to build a skilled, sustainable workforce for the future.”
Dr Emma Harvey is the Director of Engineering and Construction at Suffolk New College. She said, “We are incredibly grateful to Energie Solutions for their ongoing support. We value their input into our curriculum and together we are able to work with them to provide a more sustainable future for everyone.”